&ldquo;It&rsquo;s going pretty well,&rdquo; the 70-year-old said when asked on &ldquo;Fox News Sunday&rdquo; about his health. &ldquo;I had a rough patch there for a while last year,&rdquo; he said, but with the help of a special heart pump he&rsquo;s preparing to go fishing at the end of the month, as well as to continue his work on a book.

Cheney is expected to release a memoir in August that covers his career, including his time as vice president in George W. Bush&rsquo;s administration.

Cheney has a long history of heart disease, experiencing his first heart attack at age 37. The mechanical heart pump was surgically implanted in July.

&ldquo;I was in end-stage heart failure when I went into the hospital, and they fixed it,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m a great believer in the technology. But you do have to be sensitive to it. You&rsquo;ve a lot of gear you&rsquo;ve always got to have with you. You&rsquo;ve got to be prepared to keep your batteries charged.&rdquo;

Cheney said he was undecided about whether to pursue a heart transplant, saying he wasn&rsquo;t &ldquo;prepared to make any medical announcements.&rdquo;